On This Day, August 30: Molle Mystery Theater and Dunninger
Also featured: Howard Miller.
August 30 Update
This report documents the historical provenance, broadcast scheduling, commercial sponsorship, credited cast, production personnel, alternate circulating titles, and pure narrative synopses for broadcasts transmitting on August 30 across American network mystery, mentalism, disc jockey broadcasts, and live reporting, Richard Widmark in Nightmare on The Molle Mystery Theater (1946), master mentalist Joseph Dunninger reading sealed envelopes on NBC Blue (1944), Howard Miller interviewing pop idol Tony Bennett (1955) and spinning top pop 45s (1957), The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter on Wayside Theater (1943), and Mutual live at the 1940 New York World's Fair (1940–1957):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Guest Tony Bennett (Morning Edition)" | WBBM / CBS 1955-08-30 10:45 AM CDT |
Sustaining Daytime Music |
Howard Miller, Bennett | Howard Miller Show Staff | ["Music", "Talk", "Interview", "Tony Bennett", "Howard Miller"] |
Howard Miller interviews guest Tony Bennett about his hit ballad recordings and plays current chart-topping singles. |
| "Top Pop Records with Howard Miller" | WBBM / CBS 1957-08-30 10:45 AM CDT |
Sustaining Daytime Music |
Howard Miller (Host / DJ) | Howard Miller Show Staff | ["Music", "Pop", "Disc Jockey", "Howard Miller", "CBS"] |
Chicago disc jockey Howard Miller spins the week's best-selling 45 RPM pop records and shares music trade gossip. |
| "The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter" | Syndicated Drama 1943-08-30 |
Sustaining Melodrama Anthology |
Dramatic Voice Cast | Wayside Theater Staff | ["Drama", "Romance", "Melodrama", "Maritime", "Anthology"] |
A devoted young woman tends a storm-lashed coastal lighthouse to guide her shipwrecked sailor fiancé back to safety. |
| "Nightmare with Richard Widmark" | NBC (WEAF) 1946-08-30 10:00 PM EDT |
Sterling Drug Inc. Mollé Shave Cream |
Richard Widmark, Lenrow | Frank Telford (Director) | ["Mystery", "Psychological", "Noir", "Richard Widmark", "Molle"] |
A jazz musician awakens from a terrifying nightmare of committing a murder, only to discover physical evidence tying him to the crime. |
| "Broadcast Live from the 1940 New York World's Fair" | Mutual (WOR) 1940-08-30 3:30 PM EDST |
Sustaining Special Event Broadcast |
Mutual Announcers | Mutual Special Events Staff | ["Documentary", "News", "Special Event", "World's Fair", "Historical"] |
Network correspondents broadcast live exhibits, foreign pavilion sights, and tourist interviews from the New York World's Fair. |
| "Reading Sealed Studio Envelopes" | NBC Blue (WJZ) 1944-08-30 9:00 PM EWT |
Sustaining Mentalism Showcase |
Joseph Dunninger, Slater | Dunninger Production Staff | ["Mind Reading", "Magic", "Mentalism", "Joseph Dunninger", "NBC Blue"] |
Joseph Dunninger demonstrates thought transference by divining the contents of sealed messages written by guest studio judges. |